MaRCH 2012

COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE
RECOVERING INdUSTRIES BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
ENERGY CONSERVaTION

THE dELPHOS HERaLd

a SPECIaL SUPPLEMENT TO

aGRICULTURE & FaRMING

CONSTRUCTION & INFRaSTRUCTURE INITIaTIVES

HEaLTH & MEdICaL

2A The Herald Progress Edition

INDEX

People & businesses that make a difference

AD STORY Aero Printing........................................... 2A ............... 5A Raabe Ford .............................................. 2A ............... 2A Schmit-Massa Insurance ......................... 3A ............... 3A Delpha Chevrolet-buick .......................... 3A ............... 3A Bee Gee Realty & Auction Company .... 4A ............... 6A

Commitment to Excellence
THE

March 2012

DELPHOS

A
Section

HERALD

Bebout & Houg Roofing & Siding Inc... 4A ............... 4A Delphos Chamber ................................... 4A I&K Distributing ..................................... 4A ............... 4A Pats Donuts ............................................ 5A ............... 5A Knippen Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep ............... 6A

Van Crest Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center ................................................. 6A German Mutual Insurance ...................... 6A K&M Tire ............................................... 7A ............... 7A First Federal Bank................................... 7A ............... 7A Sidney Electric ........................................ 8A

Swimming pool getting much needed repairs

BY NANCY SPENCER nspencer@delphosherald.com DELPHOS The Delphos Municipal Swimming Pool has been an area attraction for more than 60 years and its beginning to show. During the 2011 pool season, crumbling concrete was found under the liner on the northeast wall of the pool. Parks Director Craig Mansfield cordoned off the area and patrons were affected little and the pool season continued. There were more than 17,000 visitors from May 28 to Aug. 24. The pool is more than 60 years old, Mansfield said. Youre going to see some problems after 60 years. With little to spare in his budget, Mansfield submitted an application for funds from the Arnold C. Dienstberger Foundation. It was approved for $25,000 for pool repairs, giving Mansfield a sigh of relief. We just didnt have the money to fix that this year, Mansfield said. We are the last in line for money from the city because you have to give citizens safety services first and foremost. I dont have a problems with that. I just didnt want to see this go much longer than next year because I think it would continue to get worse. Mansfield said the pool would have still opened at the end of the May; the restrictions around the crumbling wall would have continued. With the $25,000 foundation money, the wall will be fixed hopefully. Mansfield is still cautious on the subject. You just never know what your going to find once we start peeling that liner back, he said. There could be more problems we cant see. Other routine maintenance is also being performed on the facility including repairing the liner in the deep section and sandblasting and repainting the slide. Other city officials are focusing efficient water distribution and a street widening and paving project. Mayor Michael Gallmeier said Delphos will two major projects this year, a clear well project at the water treatment plant and a street widening and resurfacing project on Elida Avenue. Leaders have reached out to Allen County Commissioners to get the clear well project off the ground. The city went to the county commissioners and asked for county Community Development Block Grant funds to do this in the interest of job-retention and development. They thought it was a good project and this is a great example of cooperation between two local governments. The commissioners really stepped up when we reached out for help and without them, the city would have to come up with it all by itself. The clear well project will allow greater efficiency in water distribution and decreased energy costs. Safety Service Director Greg Berquist spoke on the project. Right now, the design has the clear wells running in a series those are the big fiberglass tanks where the water is stored, Berquist said. What happens is, theres a bottleneck effect. Water has to go through all the tanks to get to the high-service pumps, so this will create a parallel piping system where we can draw from any of the tanks and that will reduce the Continued on page 3A

Delphos

Color Copies Digital Printing Business Cards Letterheads Envelopes Business Forms Certificates Menus Scratch Pads Newsletters Tickets Brochures Posters Tags Labels Resumes Presentation Folders Laminating Fax Service Unprinted Paper Wedding Invitations & Programs Graduation Invitations Photo Calendars Advertising Specialties

Raabe Ford Lincoln

Raabe Ford Lincoln has been family-owned and operated in Delphos since 1922. Since that time, there have been some changes; relocating from our 234 N. Canal St. location to our current dealership location at 11260 Elida Road in 1972; and changing ownership from the Raabe family to the Lindeman family and finally the Allan Nott family in 1989. One thing has always remained constant and that is our passion for customer service and satisfaction. We are proud of our stellar customer service record and we have won many awards. Raabe was been the recipient of Fords Presidents Award for excellence in customer satisfaction in 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008 and recently, in 2011. The Presidents Award is the highest honor handed out to any dealer and we are the only Ford dealer in Allen County to ever receive this prestigious distinction. Our service department was recently applauded for its achievements and given the Overall Service Satisfaction trophy in 2011 and our dealership is rated by the Better Business Bureau as an A+ Business. Raabe Ford Lincoln is

Dave Brotherwood of Lee Construction sandblasts the surface of the slide at the Delphos Municipal Swimming Pool.

Lima/Allen Countys trusted Ford and Lincoln dealer and you will always find a great selection of new, used and certified pre-owned vehicles. Our award-winning service department provides car repair and routine maintenance on all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles we sell. Our body shop is ASE Certified and staffed with trained professionals who can handle any damage from minor scrapes to full body repair and our friendly, helpful sales staff will assist you in finding a vehicle that fits your wants, needs and your budget.

2002 - 2005 - 2007 - 2008 - 2011

CERTIFIED PRE-OWNEDLEASING
Service & Repair Parts & Accessories Owner Advantage Rewards Body Repair & Painting

RAABE FORD - LINCOLN

Come in a Customer, Leave as a Friend

Monday: 8:00am-8:00pm Tuesday-Friday: 8:00am-6:00pm Saturday: 9:00-2:30

Sales Department Hours:

Mon .7:30am - 8pm Tues.-Fri. 7:30am-6:00pm, Sat. 9am-2pm

Service/Parts, Body Shop Department Hours:

710 Elida Ave. Phone 419-695-2931 E-mail: info@aeroprinting.com

Delphos, OH 45833 Fax 419-695-9930 www.aeroprinting.com

raabeford.com
11260 Elida Road - just east of Delphos

Ph. 419-692-0055 Toll Free 800-589-7876

Spencerville to install new water treatment plant

BY MIKE FORD mford@delphosherald.com SPENCERVILLE The upcoming months will bring to fruition a plan to improve the lives of Spencerville residents in more ways than one. While clean, drinkable municipal water is needed for health and well-being, its also necessary to attract businesses who use high volumes and need a communitys water treatment process to have adequate capacity. Though it took time to put together, village leaders are ready to move forward with the plan to install a new water treatment facility. Administrator Sean Chapman said construction will begin in late April or early May; he describes the project: This will be housed in eight containers; different components of the water treatment process will be in different containers. They will all be pre-manufactured at the manufacturing facility and shipped to us. Well more or less tie them together and flip a switch to start treating water, he said. Bids were opened on Feb. 2 for the construction portion but bids for the electrical side of the project exceeded the engineers estimate. Chapman said bids were re-opened on March 15. After construction begins, Chapman hopes for it to wrap up in 300-330 days. He explains how the $3 million project is being paid for: We have secured all funding through the Ohio EPA and Ohio Department of Development the Community Development Block Grant water and sewer grant program and the WSRLA program through the EPA. Its a grant/loan combination with part of it being grant, part of it principal forgiveness and part of it loan, he said. As for economic development, the prefab facility will have twice the capacity village businesses are used to. The design flow will be for around half a million and will provide the community

Spencerville

March 2012

The Herald Progress Edition 3A

Delphos

with much-needed filtered and softened drinking water that will benefit the community by giving it a better product at the tap and more than double our capacity. With that, we hope to draw new businesses, he said. The village is also looking into a couple of infrastructure projects. One is a water line and the other is a culvert. We have a water line replacement project beneath the railroad tracks at 66 because of a water mane break thats not accessible to repair. Well open bids for that on March 23. This consists of replacing about 200 feet of line under the railroad, boring under the railroad and eliminating the leaking line, he said. Chapman indicated the project is to be paid for with local funds. The new water treatment plant will be located near the Spencerville Swimming Pool on Grant money is being Broadway Street. sought to install a walking We are in the design stage high water events and this also Chapman added that the path along the west side of the canal from the north corpora- of replacing the Fourth Street involves a water line replace- project is expected to be conculvert, which is deficient in ment underneath it that is shut ducted next year and grants tion limit to the south limit. Another project is under- size and its condition is dete- off due to a mane break that are being sought. riorating. It causes backups in isnt accessible, he said. way to address a culvert.

(Continued from page 2A)

Delpha Chevrolet, Buick

Bob Grothouse and the employees of Delpha Chevrolet, Buick wish to thank past and current customers for making 65 years of continuous service possible. Delpha Chevrolet, Buick began operations in March 1946 at its Second Street location and moved to North Canal Street to the current municipal building. Delpha outgrew that facility in 1977 and moved to its current location at 1725 E. Fifth St. Delpha is your local dealer for Chevrolet and Buick cars, trucks and quality preowned cars and trucks. We back your purchase with a well-trained service and body shop repair facility, 24-hour towing and a well-stocked parts department. Your continued support helps us and supports various local projects. For that, we thank you.

bottleneck effect. To save money, the city did not replace certain pumps when the plant was built. The high-service pump unit is a combination of three pumps, motors and bearings Berquist said were installed sometime in the 1970s. He said theyve been rebuilt a couple times over the years but need replaced at this point. The other part of the program is to increase the capacity of the high-service pumps to handle additional water flow. They put water into the clear wells for distribution. The whole process is like this: Raw water comes from

the reservoir and is cleaned up. It goes to the clear wells for contact time with chlorine because thats what we are required to do. Then, it goes through the high-service pumps and into the distribution system, he said. Berquist explains how financing is expected to come together: There will be a match and the city will be responsible for 20 percent of the total project cost, which is $239,000. There is $11,000 contingency; we always include that in these types of projects and then there is $49,000 for engineering costs the city has to pay. Berquist added that local funds were previously set aside for the project, which he antici-

pates will take place in the Fall. The street widening project consists of widening the pavement on Elida Avanue to 36 feet between Summers Lane and Eastowne Plaza, resurfacing and paint striping for three lanes with a center turn lane from Summers Lane to the east corporation limit. The city applied for an 80/20 match Ohio Public Works Commission grant for the project estimated to cost $260,000. If the city receives funding and council approves the project, the citys price tag will be approximately $52,000 plus the cost of engineering. OPWC funds cannot be used for engineering. Senior Project Manager Tom Krepef of Natare Corp. of Indianapolis confers with Delphos Parks and Recreation Superintendent Craig Mansfield on areas of the liner in the deep end of the Delphos Municipal Swimming Pool that need patched.

THANK YOU FOR 66 GREAT YEARS!

BOB GROTHOUSE SR.

1946 - 2012

Schmit, Massa and Lloyd Insurance Agency

The Schmit, Massa and Lloyd Insurance Agency offers auto, home, life, farm and business insurance. The business is located at 126 S. Main St. and is open 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. weekdays and on Saturdays by appointment. The agency represents German Mutual of Delphos, Motorist Mutual, Westfield, Ohio Mutual, Progressive, Foremost and Grinell Mutual. The agency is proud of its long-term dedication and consistent professional service to their clients in the tri-county area. It was started by Robert Schmit in 1956 in the back of Schmits Market and moved to its current location in 1981. Bill Massa purchased the agency in 1989. Since then, Massa acquired the Carl Core Agency, the Wendell Humphrey Agency and then in 2007, the William Lloyd Agency. Schmit, Massa and Lloyd has been recognized by their insurance carriers for their devotion to service and growth. Schmit, Mass and Lloyd is a member of the Delphos Area Chamber of Commerce.

The agency is made up of 3 agents to properly serve their clients needs. Bill Massa is a Certified Insurance Counselor and has been a licensed agent since 1988. Kathie Thitoff has beena licensed agent for 25 years, along with Gina Staples, who had been licensed for nine years. Angie Carder has been the agencys office manager and customer service rep for 12 years. Barry Thitoff serves as the weekly office cleaner. Consistent professional service to their clients is the cornerstone of this long-term insurance operation.

CHEVROLET BUICK

1725 East Fifth Street IN DELPHOS 419-692-3015 TOLL FREE 1-888-692-3015 Delphos

VISIT US ON THE WEB @ www.delphachevy.com

Serving all your insurance needs!

INSURANCE AGENCY, LLC

SM L

HOME AUTO FARM BUSINESS LIABILITY

Schmit Massa and Lloyd

Insurance Agency, LLC
126 South Main Street Delphos, OH 45833 Office 419.692.0951 419.692.4876 Fax 419.692.8812

We Are Very Proud To Be The Dealership For Americas Most Popular Cars, Trucks And Vans ... And We Are Especially Proud Of Our Staff Here At Delpha!
Josh Brinkman Luella Grothouse Robert L. Grothouse Steve Fischer Dan Frieburger Mark Grothouse Jim Grothouse Bill Gunter Bill Grothouse Paul Hale Robert Grothouse Scarlett Kemper Dan Kramer Rick Suever Edith Wieging Bill Schulte Dan Wiseman Don Gasser Jake Schabbing Dick German Wade Pohlman Justin Grothouse Jeff Mays

Bill Massa

Angie Carder

Kathie Thitoff

Gina Staples

Barry Thitoff

Next time you are shopping for a new or used car, truck or van ... or want service for your vehicle, take the short drive to

AUTO - HOME - FARM - BUSINESS

Delpha-Chevrolet-Buick in Delphos.

4 A The Herald Progress Edition

Elida weathering economic times well

BY STACY TAFF staff@delphosherald.com ELIDA Despite rough economic times, Elida Mayor Ron Klopfenstein says the village is in good health financially. Weve been very proactive about spending and I think weve ended up better off than pretty much everyone around us as far as spending is concerned, he said. Weve kept a good carryover and its been a pretty good year for us. While staying within the budget, Elida has completed, started and made various levels of headway on different items from its to-do list. We got the old water tower all torn down and got the new one working on its own by the first of this year, Klopfenstein said. Its really worked out, its saved us a lot in our pumping and our electrical costs as well. Weve also installed some new pumps soft start pumps which should save on utility bills. One of Elidas main objectives for both last year and this year energy conservation, has led to a revision of the way Elida keeps track of water usage in the village. Were hoping to get all new meters and a new meter reading system soon. Weve looked all around the state at different types of systems and we know where were going with it. Were going to start purchasing pretty soon, Klopfenstein said. This should help us keep better track of water usage and help us see if private users have leaks or other problems that cause them to use more water than they should. Klopfenstein says this new system will also help the village find meters more quickly using GPS technology. Each meter will be read by us and the new system will have GPS which will show us the location of the shut-off, meter and everything else is for every user, he said. Weve got some work to do with installing the new meters, but we have about 85 percent of them marked already. Another point of focus for Elida has been street work. Our annual grading and paving program went on this summer as usual and we did a little over $65,000 of grinding and paving, Klopfenstein said. Were going to finish the Main Street project, there at the east end, working from Baxter to SR 309. That project has taken about $800,000 and well finish that this year. Repairing the streets provided opportunities to address issues with underlying water lines and storm sewers. We put in a new street through the new high school and put in some 10-inch water line through it. That left us with some dead ends, so we had to install some more 10-inch line in to take care of that, Klopfenstein said. There was also a lot of flooding down SR 309 this year. We fully intend to do some storm sewer work, working with both the state and county. The state will be replacing the curbs and gutters down to Pioneer Street but from Pioneer to Elida, thats our portion. Also at the corner of Greenlawn and SR 309 there will hopefully be changes there to get rid of that water, he added. Weve already corrected some issues. We helped out with the demolition of the old high school and working over there helped us find where some of the problems were.

Elida

March 2012

Bebout and Houg Roofing and Siding, Inc.

Bebout and Houg Roofing and Siding, Inc. At 116 N. Walnut St., in Van Wert is a residential and commercial roofing contractor. It also does sheet metal, spouting, windows, siding, room additions and all home improvements. The company opened in 1974 and has since expanded to various phases of construction and was incorporated in 1987. The company employs 14 people and has been competitive in the areas construction business for 37 years. Employees are very proud to drive through area communities and see the many homes, schools and commercial structures the have been a part of. Bebout and Houg is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

I&K Distributors
I&K Distributors at 1600 Gressel Dr. in Delphos is a distributor of more than 4,500 food products. Our proprietary brands include the original Yoders product line, the deli-brand of Copperwood Kitchens, which is a newer acquisition, a variety of dips from Berne a Farms and its biggest ticket item, Michigan Brand, which is a cottage cheese. The company is proud of its customers, such as Meijers, Kroger, Wal-Mart, Super K-Mart, Chief, and Rays. We are also proud of our 450 associates and the communities we live in. I&K Distributors is served by 10 sales offices in the Midwest. I&K Distributors was founded in 1966 with the

Even though Klopfenstein considers the last couple of years very successful for Elida, he says theres always room for improvement. I really believe figures speak louder than words, he said. The figures prove

Elida is in pretty good shape, considering the state of the economy. There are still some areas that we can improve on and we are working on them. Weve got some great people that really work to keep Elida running smoothly.

Since 1929 the Delphos Area Chamber of Commerce has been entrusted with promoting a strong economic environment. The Chamber engages opportunities with investors for the advancement of the Delphos area.

Were working for your success

IN BUSINESS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Strong Community Strong Values Strong Commitment

Jennifer Moenter Executive Director 310 N. Main St. Delphos, OH 45833 www.delphoschamber.com Bus. 419.695.1771 Fax 419.692.1751 jennifer@delphoschamber.com

purchase of the Yoders salad business, specializing in the distribution of potato and macaroni salads to 75 Delphos-area customers on their single company truck. The company experienced early expansion with two renovations since moving to Gressel Drive. With the advent of sales to supermarkets in 1967, the company added eight trucks that sold and delivered products. Since the initial days of four to six SKUs (stock keeping units) being delivered, the company has expanded its product offerings. I&K currently distributes more than 4,500 SKUs and up to 50,000 cases daily with peak seasons seeing even more increases in daily sales.

From its humble beginnings by Ralph Yoder in 1945, the company has experienced many highlights in its growth since it was purchased by James Illig and Ronald Klausing in 1966. In 1972, I&K moved to Gressel Drive, where it operated eight trucks with multiple delivery routes. In 1974, the company introduced Renos pizza and I&K distributed the product. By 1980, I&K supplied Renos to 23 states. In 1979, they added a 9,000-squarefeet refrigerated storage and distribution center and had implemented two expansions with 14 added refrigerated trucks. In 1982, the company merged with Delphos Frozen Specialties and broke ground on a 10,000-square-feet addi-

tion for its frozen specialties division. By 1999, I&K was servicing 4,000 grocery customers in six states. In 2007, a group of investors led by Ramex, Inc., a Houston, Texas based private equity group, purchased the I & K distribution center and its sales offices throughout the Midwest. Today, I&K and its 450 associates distribute a variety of high quality refrigerated dairy, baking, meat and grocery items to more than 6,100 customers. The company operates a 100,000-square-foot fullyautomated distribution center in Delphos, along with a 36,000-square-foot inbound receiving warehouse that was built in 2010.

Commitment to Excellence Going Once... Going Twice...

31 years experience Certified Auctioneers Institute (CAI) Certified Estate Specialist (CES) Bob Gamble, Broker and Auctioneer is your Go To person for the appraisal and marketing of farmland

SOLD!

Bebout and Houg

Roofing and Siding, Inc.
Your Local Home Improvement Specialist Serving the Community for over 37 years!
FREE ESTIMATES 35 Years WEVE GOT FINANCING AVAILABLE of reliable, local service. YOU COVERED!

of reliable local service

37 Years

WEVE GOT YOU COVERED!

(419) 605-8300

122 N. Washington St., Van Wert, OH

www.BeeGeeRealty.com

Office:

(419) 238-5555

For Roofing, Siding, Windows, Doors, Spouting, Awnings, Patio Enclosures & More.

419-238-4100

Spouting, Awnings, Patio Enclosures and more 116 N. Walnut, Van Wert FREE ESTIMATES FINANCING AVAILABLE

For Roofing, Siding, Windows, Doors,

DISTRIBUTORS
419-238-4100

Bebout and Houg

Roofing and Siding, Inc.
If youre not getting our price, you may be paying too much!

Your Local Home Improvement Specialist Serving the area for over 35 years.

116 N. WALNUT, Delivering Quality Food Products To Your Local Grocery Store, Restaurants and Other Food Service Outlets VAN WERT Tom Bebout - Gary Houg - Trevor Bebout

We are the exclusive distributors of these products produced at local facilities. I&K Distributors operates a fully automated refrigerated distribution facility.
I&K Distributors is proud to distribute over 4500 national-brands including Yoplait Lofthouse Horizons Breakstone Stouffers/Nestle Churney Cheese
I&K Maintains 11 sales offices in the midwest: Cincinnati, OH Cleveland, OH Columbus, OH Delphos, OH Detroit, MI Grand Rapids, MI Huntington, WV Indianapolis, IN Flint, MI South Bend, IN Chicago, IL

1600 Gressel Drive

DELPHOS

Ohio

Pats. Donuts & Kreme

Here is a candid interview with Pats Donuts & Kreme owner Ed Ezelle. Tell us about the history of Pats Donut? Pats Donuts & Kreme was founded during 1983 by Henry Iven. He named the business after his wife, Pat. My wife Michelle and I have now owned Pats Donuts for 7 years. What prompted you to go into business for yourself? My grandparents, Robert and Alice Bonifas. They are my inspiration. Growing up at NuMaudes restaurant was fun. Their love and parenting over the years has led me to do what I was born to do, serve others by running a business in the community I grew up in. Why open a Pats Donuts & Kreme in Delphos? I have always thought Delphos would be a great place to own a business. If you have a great community to raise your kids, then you have a great community to own a business. Even with the economy down and with so many people laid off, donuts are the one food that lifts peoples spirits and we could all use a little more uplifting these days. I have a saying Donuts dont make you fat, they make you happy. Bring a box of Pats donuts to work or home and youll see smiles and hear laughter. Has opening a Pats Donuts in Delphos been what you thought it would be? Absolutely. We are very pleased with the way the Delphos store is operating. At first, it really took off then, as time went by, we settled in. We have a good base of regular customers and I want to say thank you to those customers who patronize our Delphos store. We just wanted to thank everyone for supporting this store. We have received many thanks from our customers for opening a Pats Donuts in Delphos. I would also like to recognize our Delphos employees. We have a loyal and wonderful group of employees. We are very proud of each and every

March 2012

The Herald Progress Edition 5A

one of them. Their devotion and hard work is the main reason why we have a good base of regular customers. Thank you to all! What is different about a Pats Donut compared to another donut? Pats Donuts are made daily and locally, using only the finest ingredients and are handmade. We make our own icings and kreme for our donuts using the same old recipes from 29 years ago. We meet customers all the time that are home in the region for the weekend and they have to stop and get their Pats Donuts and Pats Pizza before leaving for home. They come from Florida, Texas, Georgia and just about all over the United States. Its really cool! What different kinds of donuts do you sell? We have bread and cake donuts. Our cake donuts consist of vanilla, chocolate, blueberry, old fashion sour cream and a whole-wheat donut. The bread donuts consist of filled sticks, jelly rolls, Persian rolls, glaze donut ring, twist, custard-filled and fritters. If you need a quick jump start to your day, we recommend the triple chocolate filled stick with a pint of chocolate milk. For the peanut butter lovers you will enjoy our peanut butter cup donut. If you are looking for a lighter donut with less filling, the glazed donut ring is an excellent choice. Like dunkin your donut in your coffee? Try the old-fashion sour cream cake donut. We offer over 40 different varieties of donuts and rolls. There is something for everyone to enjoy. Do you consider your business a bakery or just a donut shop? Each week, we order over 5,000 pounds of flour, 2,000 pounds of powdered sugar. We mix the flour, we loaf the dough, we knead the dough, we proof the dough. Pats Donuts & Kreme is a bakery working around the clock, 7 days a week. We also make our own pizza dough daily. Its a pretty big operation. Some call us a coffee shop,

pizzeria, ice cream parlor. We are many things. We only serve quality foods. We strive to serve only the best food possible. If your spending your hard earned money at out stores then we owe it to our customers to provide them with the best food possible! What does the kreme mean in Pats Donuts & Kreme? The word kreme is short for ice cream. Folks ask that question all the time. They think it refers to the buttercream in the donuts. To be different we spell ice kreme a little differently than the norm. We keep the ice kreme side of the business simple but effective. We offer 32 different flavors of Hersheys Hard Dip Ice Kreme with something different for everyone in a cone, cup, sundae or milkshake. We also serve soft serve ice kreme, How do you manage so many stores? Its no walk in the park, especially owning a business in Lima that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We have been fortunate with a good group of responsible employees. I have the same situation at our other satellite

stores. Ninety percent of our employees are loyal and a hard-working group and they will do an excellent job getting your donuts ready every morning. We dont have supervisors and managers; its still just a mom and pop bakery that employes 42 people. The experience of owning this business has been a learning experience but also a fulfilling experience. I do have a great partner in my wife Michelle. We work well together and I am very blessed to have her by my side. She does her thing and I do my thing and it works well. I have learned to put my faith and trust totally in Gods hands. What hours is the Delphos store open? The Delphos store is open 7 days a week from 5am-9pm. We are closed on Easter, Christmas and New Years. So getting up early in the morning is no problem for you? I dont enjoy the really early mornings before sunrise or the late nights but my wife Michelle and I do what we have to do. I am on call 24 hours, 7 days a week. Its not

all that bad. Our kids get us out of work and weekends surely arent what they used to be. Its not easy running a business. You have to respect the small business owner. Every day presents a new set of challenges. What is Pats number one selling donut? That is a toss up between the buttercream filled sticks, Persian rolls and glazed donut ring. We always like to stock up so we dont run out of the glaze donuts and the filled sticks. The one donut that sells like no other is the Paczki but we only sell that Paczki during the week of Fat Tuesday. This past Fat Tuesday, we made and sold 10,000 Paczki between all our stores. Some other favorite donuts include the custard filled, old-fashion sour cream cake donut, blueberry cake donut, cinnamon twist and donut holes. Our newest donut we are making is our Bacon Maple Donut. Our customer first reaction is bacon on a donut? Really. Dont be afraid. If you like pancakes and bacon youll love this donut. We offer a very nice selection of donuts and pastries to choose from. Aero Printings modern facility is located at 710 Elida Avenue and has plenty of offthe-street parking. Come out and see us when you have a print job that is bigger than your equipment can handle or when you need it quickly. Our high-speed color and black and white printers are networked to Windows and Macintosh computers and produce high-resolution color and black and white digital printing. Go to aeroprinting.com and check out the convenience of our Click Print order online printing service and use our Send Us Files link to easily and quickly upload your digital files to our ftp site. Our high-speed offset presses and digital printers are able to handle ALL your offset and digital printing needs. If the job is ink on paper, we can print it, typeset it, number it, score it, die cut it, pad it,

Aero Printing

There is something for everyone to enjoy at Pats. Are the donuts made in Delphos? No, the donuts are made on Elida Road at what we call the Donut Factory. In todays world its too labor intensive to make donuts at all locations. We would probably be inconsistent with our product. Its best to make the donuts at one location. Its not like frying up hamburgers; there is an art form to it. Although, as our business grows, we will need a larger facility to make our donuts since we live in Delphos, we may just make them here. Another factor is money. The start-up cost is expensive. We dont believe in taking out loans. We want to be able to pay cash for anything new we buy for our business. We want to grow our business slowly, not overnight. Tell us about yourself Ed. I am a 1988 graduate of St. Johns High School and a graduate of the University of Toledo. My wife Michelle and I have two children that attend St. Johns and we are members of St. Johns Catholic Church.

perforate it, laminate it and we can do it F-A-S-T! Digital printing, copies, unprinted paper, office supplies, advertising specialties (with monthly specials), rubber stamps, typesetting, fax service and laminating are just some of the items and services we offer every day. We carry a complete line of wedding invitations and accessories, graduate announcements and supplies and Christmas cards. Delivery times range from next day to one week on faxable orders. With our quick service and stand-behind-theorder experience, why take a chance and order from a catalog? Our goal is to serve you. Whatever you need, from printing your files to quoting your next print job, call, fax, e-mail or stop in and talk to us. Youll be glad you did. Our hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

662 Elida Ave., Delphos 419-692-0007

Open 5 a.m.-9 p.m.

Famous Since 1983

Try our:
HERSHEYS HARD DIP 32 FLAVORS SOFT SERVE MILKSHAKES SUNDAES WIZARDS SLUSH DRINKS KREME SLUSHES PIZZA & SUBS SANDWICHES Served with your choice of potato chips or donut and a pickle spear

6A The Herald Progress Edition

Van Wert Super Site is officially a go

By ED GEBERT Staff writer VAN WERT For about five years, Van Wert County economic development officials have been trying to secure financing to prepare a large industrial site north of Van Wert. On Monday, they got the answer they had been looking for all along. A grant was secured in September 2009, but a staterequired gas line to fulfill requirements to be declared a Job Ready Site (JRS) caused a breakdown in the process. For months, local officials have been trying to forego the installation of a gas pipeline which would have to be run from the Convoy area at a cost of around $3 million. However no positive action was forthcoming from Columbus. Then a letter from Van Wert Mayor Don Farmer drew a response from Christiane Schmenk, director of the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) less than an hour after it was sent via email. That conversation triggered a meeting at ODOD and an invitation to a local delegation to meet in Columbus. The Monday meeting saw Farmer, Van Wert Safety-Service Director Jay Fleming, attorney Charles Koch, and businessman Andy Czajkowski sit down with Schmenk, Kevin Potter, ODOD assistant director and Thea J. Walsh. The result was positive news. We will relief from the requirement of the gas line added at the site, Farmer announced on Tuesday. The ten-year grant agreement was also extended from 2019 to 2022. The amended agreement is to be in local hands within 90 days. A meeting with Dominion Gas about the natural gas line is already scheduled. While the construction work, which includes running a railroad line to the 1,600-acre super site and various other utility work, will not be done until 2013, getting the agreement with the ODOD at this point was very important so that remaining engineering work can be completed and the bidding process finished this fall. Much of that preparatory work had to be put off until the financing was secured, which meant the gas line had to be taken off the table. Fleming stated that all the improvements would be finished during 2013. Ill give Gov. Kasich and the ODOD applause for setting in motion an office that we saw [Monday] that can be responsive to each individual community and their needs on a rather quick basis, praised Farmer. Fleming reported, That was probably my third meeting in five years in Columbus to talk about the gas line, megasite, JRS, by far the best response ever. It was nice to sit down at a table and feel like we were on the same page, talk it out, and come to a reasonable solution. It was refreshing to go down and see common sense and the experience projected at the state level. Thats not been our experience up to this point by any means, Koch related. New administration, new team, and just very responsive to what we needed, added Czajkowski. They were looking for any way they could to make this deal happen. That was just a terrific feeling... This is a go, and this will be a gamechanger if and when we are

Van Wert County

March 2012

KNIPPEN CHRYSLER, DODGE, JEEP...

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Ottoville

able to attract a Fortune 500 or Fortune 1000 company. This could change the entire region. Koch has been involved in the project since the days when the area was trying to woo Honda of America to Van Wert. He noted, Fortunately, now we not only see light at the end of the tunnel, I think weve seen sunlight at the end of the tunnel. There will be a very

promising endeavor that we are getting into. Weve been assured there will be significant marketing done on this site. It will be included as a major site pending certification. All four men were quick to point out that many other people have been heavily involved in the process of establishing the Van Wert Super Site, including the Community Improvement

Corporation, past city officials and economic development officials. Czajkowski also gave special recognition to Farmer for his work on this project. He has been like a dog on a bone. He has been making phone calls and sending emails, and thats ultimately what it takes. Not to make light of anyone elses participation, but Mayor Farmer has been all over this.

ring Sp ings Sav vent E

2008 Jeep Wrangler 4x4 $

BY MIKE FORD mford@delphosherald.com

Ottoville in holding pattern

MINIVANS

$9999 and under

1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GT $
Red, local trade, runs good ......

2008 Dodge Grand Black, hard top, air, auto .......... 18,999 Caravan Silver, Stow-n-Go seating, 2008 Pontiac G-6 $
4-door, silver, chrome $ wheels, auto, nice.....................

2007 Chrysler Sebring Touring

Alum. Wheels, power, $ only 50K miles ............................

13,999 2008 Dodge Grand

Caravan

Full power, clean ..................

16,999 2002 Chrysler

Voyager
Red, quad seats, local trade.....

3,995 4,995 7,995

2008 Chrysler Convertible

11,999

Blue, Stow-N-Go seating, $ CD player, very nice..............

2011 Dodge Grand Caravan - Crew

White, full power, 34K miles, Stow-N-Go seating, $ back-up camera....................

16,499 Caravan SXT

2005 Dodge Grand

Blue, power doors, $ DVD player, local trade, nice.....

OTTOVILLE The recession is limiting the progress list of things to do in Ottoville for 2012. Mayor Ron Miller would like to line up funding to conduct a street project for next year, but other than that, the only thing he plans on this year is repaving a parking lot. Everything is holding steady. Were planning to resurface the parking lot at the park this spring and were hoping to get a grant for Auglaize Street but thats about it for the year, he said. As for the street, it would be a complete overhaul. We want to replace the water line and storm water line, repave the road and put in new curbing, he said. Were hoping to get Issue 1 money for it and will apply

Red, alum wheels, 30 MPG $ Only 44K miles ..........................

2011 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab

4x4, silver, very nice, local trade, $ Only 26K miles ........................

14,999

19,999 19,999

2006 Chrysler Town & Country

Quad seats, $ 67K miles, local trade................ Blue, sunroof, nice, $ local trade...................................

Bee Gee Realty and Auction Co. Ltd.

The Van Wert real estate market is home to a leader in the industry. Bee Gee Realty and Auction Co. Ltd. has been in business for 27 years. In 1985, Bee Gee Realty and Auction Co. Ltd. opened for business. It has grown over the years to provide brokerage, marketing and auction services, a representative said. Principal Broker Bob Gamble has the certified estate specialist and certified auctioneer institute designations. The company provides real estate and auction marketing services for estates, farms, homes and commercial and industrial properties. In addition, we provide appraisals for farmland and estates, they said. Additional staff include associate bro-

for it in the fall to try to line it up for next year. The only other thing we might do is purchase more ground out at the industrial park. We have an option on it until 2015 and wed like to have everything purchased by then, he said. Unfortunately, there arent

any fish on the line. The Community Improvement Corporation does a lot of marketing for us and so does the county but things arent picking up right now. Wed like to get something before too long but you never know, he concluded.

2011 Dodge Grand Caravan - Crew

Cherry red, rear camera, $ power doors, very nice.........

2005 Chrysler Impala 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 $

Very clean, local trade, 1-owner..

8,995

2011 Chrysler 200 Touring

Silver, sunroof, 6 cyl, $ 24K miles...............................

22,999 16,999

6,995

Provide brokerage, marketing and auction services.

kers and auctioneers Dale Butler and Ron Medaugh. The company is located at 122 N. Washington St. and is open from 8:30 a.m.5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m.-noon on Saturdays. Our business is proud of putting our clients interest first. We believe the Golden Rule should be applied in every situation. We are thrilled that a large portion of our business comes from referrals and past clients, they said.

2012 Chrysler Town & Country Touring

Deep cherry red, only 17k miles, power pedals, power $ doors, must see ...................

24,999

8,995

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Knippen Chrysler Dodge Jeep

Having served the Delphos area for 30 years, Knippen Chrysler Dodge Jeep sales and service is here for you. We offer new and used car sales, parts and service and 24-hour wrecker service. We are owned by Ron Knippen and our sales manager is Tom Ring. Mike Knippen is our sales manager and Joe Jackson is our sales and leasing consultant. We are open from 8 a.m.7 p.m. on Mondays. Our Tuesday, Thursday and Friday hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m., while were open from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. on Wednesdays and from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays. At Knippen Chrysler Jeep Dodge, youll find a wide assortment of automotive services and products

We Welcome all Chrysler Retired & Employee Purchase Plans!

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800 W. Fifth St. Delphos, OH 45833 www.knippenchrysler.com Over 30 years in Business 419-695-4976 or 800-464-8434

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including new and preowned vehicle inventories, a professional service department, financial assistance and more. You can find an assortment of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles in both the new and pre-owned inventories at our Delphos dealership. Our friendly and highly knowledgeable staff is dedicated to your satisfaction; visit us today at 800 W. Fifth Street and see for yourself.

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112 E. Third Street Delphos, OH 45833

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Local Agents: Lucy Pohlman: 419-339-9196 Schmit, Massa, Lloyd: 419-692-0951 Rhoades Ins.: 419-238-2341

Kiwanis Club to start on Garfield Park project

BY NANCY SPENCER nspencer@delphosherald.com DELPHOS With two major playground renovations under its belt, the Delphos Kiwanis Club is just $5,000 away from tackling Garfield Park. The group had $45,000 of the $50,000 needed. The Kiwanis have already remove the two concrete pads at the park and will replace them with one regulation-size basketball court complete with new poles, backboards and rims. The remaining area will be seeded. New playground equipment will include a four-bay swing for older children; a two-bay swing for younger children; and four pieces of free-standing equipment. The club will also put in new fencing along Clay Street that will be moved back from the road to allow for additional parking and enclose the playground equipment for safety. The group hopes to start pouring the basketball court as soon as the weather breaks. Past projects included Stadium and Waterworks parks. The Kiwanis use proceeds from the annual Fourth of July celebration and donations from area businesses and organizations. Donations can be monetary or in the form of labor or the use of equipment. Hundreds of man hours are needed to prepare the site for the equipment and the assembly and erection. Kiwanis President Dennis Kapcar said the projects follow the Kiwnis commitment to serve the children in their community. We continue to focus on the children and the community, Kapcar began. What I think is the neatest thing about these projects is that the community enjoys our Fourth of July celebration and the money they spend there is used to fund our projects. Everyone who participates in the Fourth of July event is directly responsible for helping make our projects happen. The playground system installed at Waterworks Park in 2010 had a price tag of $71,000 and the manhours needed to assemble and erect the system were donated by Kiwanis members, Delphos Parks and Recreation employees, local contractors and citizens. Tax-deductible contributions can be sent to: Delphos Kiwanis Club, P.O. Box 173, Delphos OH 45833.

March 2012

The Herald Progress Edition 7A

K&M Tire, headquartered in Delphos, continues to grow its warehouse, its employees, its locations, and its product offering. The wholesale tire distributor recently completed a warehouse expansion project at their Delphos warehouse. This expansion increased the warehouse by approximately 60,000 square feet. Construction began last summer and the extra space will house K&M Tires expanded agricultural tire offerings, while freeing up space for additional passenger and light truck lines. In addition to increasing its warehouse distribution capacity, K&M Tire continues to grow its customer base through acquisitions and opening new facilities. In the past two years, the wholesaler has grown from six locations in four states to 12 locations in 10 states serving customers in over 15 states. Additionally, the company has plans to open two or three additional warehouses within the next 12 to 18 months. In November 2010, K&M Tire bought the assets of Universal Cooperatives Inc.s Triton Tire & Battery business. The deal included five warehouses located in Minnesota, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, and North Dakota. Soon after the acquisition, K&M Tire opened a warehouse dis-

K&M Tire continues to grow

tribution center in Iowa to help link its east facilities with its new western locations. With the addition of the new locations, came the need for more employees. Company-wide, the employee head count has grown over the past two years from approximately 150 employees to over 300 employees. The support staff at the Delphos headquarters has grown during that time from approximately 50 employees to nearly 75. Recently, the company added Yokohama tires to its large product offering. Currently, K&M Tire distributes 19 brands of passenger and light truck tires, seven brands of commercial truck tires and eight brands of farm and utility tires. Founded in 1970 as a two-bay gas station in Ottoville, K&M Tire moved to Delphos in the late 1970s. The company opened its first remote warehouse in Toledo in 1990. Currently, the wholesaler has distribution warehouses in Delphos; Toledo; Lincoln Park, Mich.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Macon, Ga.; Madison, Wis.; Chicago, Ill.; Des Moines, Iowa; Minneapolis, Min.; Bismarck, N.D.; Omaha, Neb.; and Wichita, Kan. K&M Tire plans to continue to grow to meet the demands of the future.

The Delphos Kiwanis Club is just $5,000 away from funds needed to complete work at Garfield Park.

First Federal Bank

Although the year 2011 showed only minor improvements in the banking industry, First Federal Bank has continued to grow and be successful not only in the Allen and Van Wert county areas but throughout northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and Fort Wayne, Ind. In fact, First Defiance Financial Corp., the parent company of First Federal Bank, has grown to $2.07 billion in assets. First Federals philosophy of local people and local decision-making continues to run how we do business, said Greg Allen, First Federal Banks Southern Market President. Our employees not only work in this community, but they live here. They are local bankers with years of experience which allows First Federal to offer innovative solutions to best fit our clients needs. In 2011, our Delphos banking center opened over 600 new accounts, helping First Federal surpass the $165 million mark in deposits. Along with deposit growth, the mortgage lending team found the perfect mortgage

solution for 174 homeowners, amounting to just under $19 million in home loans. First Federals team of commercial lenders also contributed to the past years success by reaching a balance of over $40 million in commercial loan balances and making First Federal an excellent choice for business lending needs in the tri-county area. We are very proud to remain focused on providing superior service to clients and the community by always improving and creating new products and services to suit customers needs, said Allen. We are also very proud to be a fundamental part of the Allen and Van Wert County communities. First Federal Bank continues to give back to the community. The Delphos staff serve in leadership positions in many service organizations and actively support the community through both their time and their financial support of the bank. First Federal Bank has 33 offices and 44 ATMs throughout northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and Fort Wayne, Indiana.

8A The Herald Progress Edition

March 2012

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